parting always raise their hats from their heads with a smile of beneficence.

All the hearse-drivers also wear cocked hats, which looks very strange at first to the American tourist, as much so as to see the Belgian officers parading the streets in their long surtout coats, with epaulettes and side arms.

CHAPTER XXIV.

City of Louvain; The Town Hall; St. Peter's Church; Pleasant Places of Resort; Liege, the Birmingham of Belgium; An extensive Cannon Foundry; The Belgian Army; The Village of Spa, celebrated for its salubrious Springs; Brussels; Modern Writers who have resided there; English Book-Store and Reading-Room; Information relative to taking out Patents; Superb Carvings, &c.; The Liquor drank in Belgium; Shipping; Steam Vessels; Compliment to American Ingenuity; Curiosity Shops; The kind of Money for Travelling Expenses; English Church Service; Concerts; The Theatre; The Flemish Ladies; Trip to Paris, &c., &c.

DURING the tourist's sojourn in Belgium, he should visit Louvain, one of its largest cities, being seven miles in circumference, containing about thirty thousand inhabitants—a great falling off since the fourteenth century, when she contained one hundred and fifty thousand souls. The city is twenty miles from Brussels by railroad-fare two francs. Edward the Third once held his court here, and Charles the Fifth, in his youth, chose it for his residence. The tower of Cæsar, built by the Emperor Arnold in the eighth century, is still standing, in defiance of Old Time;-from its summit there is a fine view of the city and surrounding country. The Town Hall, for its architecture, cannot be surpassed; nothing can exceed its splendour by daylight, except to view it by the moonlight, when it resembles some fairy palace;—its airy minarets and fretwork, thrown out by the dark shadows they reflect, the stars glittering through the open stone work, have, indeed, almost a magical effect on the beholder. There are in this hall some beautiful paintings, by Rubens and Vandyck, worthy of notice.

St. Peter's Church, built in the tenth century, also possesses some fine paintings, by the same masters. The pulpit is indeed a curiosity. The spire of this church was once considered the eighth wonder of the world, being upwards of five hundred and thirty feet high. The Botanical Garden is a place of much resort; also the Zoological Museum and Barracks. The splendid ball room, called

66

Frascati," should be visited; it will admit of eighty quadrilles at the same time, and is thought to be the finest room for the purpose in Europe. The Boulevards are pleasant, but not so picturesque as at Brussels, though a much cheaper city in all things for a residence-the charge at the principal hotels being five francs a day, and but an hour's ride from Brussels.

Liege is termed the Birmingham of Belgium. It is seventy miles from Brussels by railway-a three hours' trip, for seven francs. The country around Liege is beautiful and picturesque-population about sixty thousand-the French language universally spoken, as is the case in most of the cities in Belgium-and is the best school for music in the kingdom. The Pavillon Anglais is considered the "crack" hotel for strangers from England and America—the charge per diem but four francs, with a table fit for a prince. The Cathedral and the Church of St. Jacques are venerable and very interesting structures; they have many choice paintings. Also the Town Hall, and the old palace of the Prince Bishop of Liege, should not be passed unnoticed. From the beautiful public garden, called "Belle Vue," a most splendid panoramic view of the city and its environs are had, too enchanting for description. At Liege is to be seen, also, one of the most extensive cannon foundries in Europe. The castings are in bronze as well as iron. This foundry made some fine castings, by contract, for the United States. There are upwards of three thousand steam engines constantly in motion in the vicinity of Liege, and over fifty manufactories of small arms, rifles, &c., all of which employ a little army of men. At one establishment, viz., Mr. Cockerill's, there are three thousand men at work, and is indeed worth seeing;-by making a proper application, or say, "I am an American," you will be instantly and politely admitted.

Sir Walter Scott has not overcharged the character of the ancient burghers of Liege, in his "Quentin Durward." Historians amply bear testimony to his correctness, and it will prove a rich treat to a romantic tourist to read it on the spot. As in England and France, so in Belgium are to be seen soldiers in almost every large town; and the Belgian army is, in proportion to the actual population of the country, the largest in the world; the average of paid soldiers being one to every thirty-seven inhabitants. Every regiment has a cantiniere, (a female sutler,) who supplies liquor to the soldiers, and follows the camp in war, or in peace. She wears in the cavalry a uniform, and her charger, which she rides astride, is foraged for her. No officer can marry without the leave of the Minister of War, who will only accord it in those cases where the lady has a competency of her own sufficient to support herself independently of her husband's pay, or the officer has a private inIf such a law were in force in the United States, resigna

come.

tions would be a little more common than at the present time. In Belgium, officers are liable to imprisonment in the common gao! by sentence of a court martial; this punishment is very frequent to this day.

The village of Spa is famed throughout Europe for its salubrious springs; and thither at times King Leopold holds his court, to partake of the waters and amusements. It is one hundred miles from Brussels, through a rich and highly cultivated country-the population being about four thousand, and not an expensive place, even in the height of the season, as four francs are only charged a day for board, and every luxury furnished for that sum, save wine, and for the best bottle of wine three francs only. At Spa, as at Saratoga, the visiters amuse themselves in riding, walking, dancing, &c. A lady at Spa drinks water at seven, walks until nine, then breakfasts, passes an hour in reading and chatting, rides a donkey until dinner, then dines and strolls about until seven, returns to the house, chats for an hour, thums the piano or guitar for another, then dresses for a ball or the theatre, dances until near morning, and then retires fatigued to her couch, to think what is to be done on the morrow to kill time. The gentlemen go through pretty much the same routine, taking a little more time in regulating their usual padding, and combing, colouring their mustaches, &c., and in some cases end the season by choosing a partner for life, and thus complete their happiness.

On my return to Brussels, I was informed by the American Chargé, of a splendid review to take place some thirty miles from the city, of ten thousand troops, at which the King would be present, and politely invited by him to attend. I was strongly induced to accept, but having business which would occupy my time for a few days, and being under a promise to be in Paris at a certain date, compelled me, with deep regret, to decline the polite invitation. The next day I was taken by our polite and attentive Chargé, in his carriage, to different parts of the city, introduced to many of his friends, visited many public places of resort, and in the evening attended the theatre.

Some of the most modern writers have made Brussels, for a time, their place of residence, to wit:Bulwer, Marryat, Grattan, White, Lady Morgan, &c., and last and least, Madam Trolloppe. Who, that has been at Brussels, can wonder?

The tourist, while in Brussels, or, on the first day of his arrival, should call on Edward Browne, Esq., who keeps an English bookstore a short distance from the Bellevue Hotel, Place Royale,-his address is No. 80 Montagne De la Cour,-and over his store he keeps open at all times, free for all strangers, a reading and news room, which makes it a pleasant resort to hear the news, &c. Should the tourist wish to make enquiries relative to patents, or

any new inventions, expense of taking out patents in any part of Europe, &c., he will find R. W. Urling, Esq., 139 Rue des Arts, Faubourg de Louvain, a gentleman who will with much pleasure give him all information required either on that subject or any other, during his sojourn in the city.

Throughout Belgium is to be found black oak, chiselled in the finest manner. Superb carvings of this kind may be picked up for a mere song. Splendid altar ornaments, sideboards, tables, bookcases, clothes-presses, may be found of the most exquisite cutting, and these for a small trifle. To him, therefore, who is anxious to fit up his house in the style of two or three centuries back, I recommend a visit to Belgium. Also, old China is another article to be found very cheap; and, to antiquarians, would prove invaluable relics of olden time, in the New World. Such is now the mania for all things ancient in this country, that I know of no better speculation than for some shrewd American to go to Belgium, travel through Flanders, and purchase a cargo of ancient carved furniture of all kinds, china, &c., and ship to the United States; for every dollar expended in his purchases, he would realize ten, without a doubt, in the city of New York-where,

In each gay mansion softest sounds control,

And wealth, with taste and beauty, chain the soul.

Let one fashionable lady set the example of furnishing her saloons with the ancient, beautiful, carved black oak furniture from Flanders, and we should soon see quite a brisk trade carried on in that line-for what lady of fashion but would delight in pointing out a cabinet, sideboard, table, or bedstead, that once belonged to Charles the Bold, or Mary, or Margaret of Burgundy-or a glass from which their royal lips used to sip nectar?

The common spirits drank in Belgium is gin, but beer is the common drink of the lower orders of society, but it tastes poor and hard to him who has been accustomed to the ale and porter of England and the United States.

The Belgian government allows on every ton of shipping, built in her waters, thirty-two francs, and paid on the day of launching. This sum assists in a great measure towards equipping the vessel for sea. The ship-carpenters are not inferior to any in the world. While at Bruges, I was introduced to G. W. Thompson, Esq., merchant of London, who informed me he had then a new steamboat of five hundred tons at Ostend, and although she had been ready to receive her engines for two months, he was still waiting to hear from the United States for some new improvements in the steaming way, as we Americans were constantly, as he said, exercising our ingenious minds to rival the English in all things-more particularly in steam engines. On parting from Mr. Thompson,